Decluttering and Minimalism: 5 Tips to Simplify Your Life

Decluttering and Minimalism have become somewhat of a movement. Why?

Most of us are tired of all the excess! Take one look into the average American’s home and it is likely filled with stuff, much of which isn’t even needed. I’ve come to the conclusion most of the excess is sitting in my house!

Join me today as I provide you with some helpful tips to simplify your life, help you declutter, and potentially start living with the mindset of minimalism.

Decluttering and Minimalism. What’s the difference?

Decluttering is simply the process of getting rid of things and unwanted stuff. Minimalism is more of a lifestyle, living with less.

I recently spent a day cleaning out my kids’ closets. They are typically responsible for putting away their clothing, so I rarely step inside their closets. But, with the changing of seasons, I wanted to get a better inventory of what items they have outgrown. All of this, so I could make a list of MORE stuff to buy.

Wow! As I went through stack after stack, pile after pile, I was shocked by the accumulated clutter. As much as I would like to blame someone else, it’s mainly my fault. I am the primary consumer in our home.

I’ve written several posts about frugal living and generally speaking, I am frugal. But if I’m being honest, sometimes I see a “good deal” and whether I need it or not, I buy it.

Can you relate?

Sometimes the only motivation for a purchase is because it’s a great price. WHY?! We do not need all the things.

If this is something that resonates with you, read on!

5 Tips to Simplify Your Life

1. Declutter

This can be daunting. But, I think the reward is worth the effort. Start small, one space at a time. Closets are a great starting point.

What do you need? What have you not worn in ages? If you don’t need it, get rid of it.

If the items are still in good condition, put together a clothes donation pile. Freecycle and other local organizations would love good quality clothing. Don’t forget to get a donation receipt for tax time. If you need a charitable tax donation worksheet printable for this, I’ve got you covered here!

Many of you have heard of the Kon Mari Method. She has an interesting approach to getting rid of all of the unnecessary junk in our lives. If it doesn’t bring us joy, we are to get rid of it!

A quick side story – A couple of years ago when the Kon Mari book was really popular, a good friend of mine and I were on a purging kick. My friend’s husband was convinced he would be kicked to the curb if he didn’t bring joy into my friend’s life. Thankfully, she kept him around!

Update: Marie Kondo has a new Netflix series “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo“. I’ll be the first to admit I’ve done a little binge watching!

Other areas of the home to start a declutter:

Kitchen: drawers, pantry, dishes, refrigerator

Bedroom: nightstand, shelves, books

Bathroom: drawers, items in the shower, old towels / washcloths

Living Room: book case, table tops, stacks of magazines, drawers

Laundry Room: purge unnecessary cleaning supplies, drawers, cabinets

You get the idea! As I mentioned, it can be overwhelming. Start with a small area and start purging. It feels good! Plus, it is so helpful to get a better idea of items you do not really use or need to avoid future purchases.

This brings me to the next item…

2. Buy only What is Necessary / Needed:

After you have spent time purging, you will get a much better idea of items your family actually uses. Make a plan to only buy what you need. It sounds simple enough, but I catch myself throwing things in my cart that “look fun”. Or, “wow, that is really cheap!’.

Try vowing to only buy what you know you will use.

Not only is this being a more responsible consumer, but it will save you money!

3. Focus on Experiences verses Things:

Our family is trying to make a shift to enjoying life rather than buying things.

A friend of mine chose LIVE for her one word for the year. I love that! Life is too short to focus on accumulating stuff. The experiences with people we care about is what will stay with us for a life time!

Ideas for family experiences:

Picnics in your own backyard

Hiking trails near your home

Biking together as a family

Look at Trip Advisor for things to do locally. I find SO many interesting things this way!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

Jenifer Muirsays

April 24, 2018 at 8:18 am

I am with you on the decluttering. Clutter makes me crazy! I hate dusting so I tend to keep things on shelves to a minimum 😁. I need to work more on not purchasing things I don’t Truly need! I love your family time ideas! This helps me get my bucket list for this summer going.

I had a decluttering moment this morning. Went through the drawer where we keep all of the cords for electronics and purged. Didn’t realize we had so many cords for electronics we don’t even own anymore! Also went through the medicine and vitamin cabinet and discovered half of the things we had were expired! Note to self; no one likes Chloraseptic spray, no matter what the flavor. So I really need to stop buying it!

Love this, Jenifer! Those are definitely spaces that tend to overflow with stuff we don’t need. And, lol, you are right. No one likes Chloraseptic!

Meagan at Okay Now Breathesays

May 01, 2018 at 8:42 pm

I’ve been on a journey towards minimalism over the past year or two. I love how much decluttering relaxes me. I even like watching decluttering videos on YouTube. And I’m totally with you on choosing experiences over things!